A Dark-Brown Dog

A child was standing on a street-corner. He leaned with one shoulderagainst a high board fence and swayed the other to and fro, the whilekicking carelessly at the gravel.

Sunshine beat upon the cobbles, and a lazy summer wind raised yellowdust which trailed in clouds down the avenue. Clattering trucks movedwith indistinctness through it. The child stood dreamily gazing.

After a time, a little dark-brown dog came trotting with an intent airdown the sidewalk. A short rope was dragging from his neck. Occasionallyhe trod upon the end of it and stumbled.

He stopped opposite the child, and the two regarded each other. The doghesitated for a moment, but presently he made some little advances withhis tail. The child put out his hand and called him. In an apologeticmanner the dog came close, and the two had an interchange of friendlypattings and waggles. The dog became more enthusiastic with each momentof the interview, until with his gleeful caperings he threatened tooverturn the child. Whereupon the child lifted his hand and struck thedog a blow upon the head.

This thing seemed to overpower and astonish the little dark-brown dog,and wounded him to the heart. He sank down in despair at the child'sfeet. When the blow was repeated, together with an admonition inchildish sentences, he turned over upon his back, and held his paws in apeculiar manner. At the same time with his ears and his eyes he offereda small prayer to the child.

He looked so comical on his back, and holding his paws peculiarly, thatthe child was greatly amused and gave him little taps repeatedly, tokeep him so. But the little dark-brown dog took this chastisement in themost serious way and no doubt considered that he had committed somegrave crime, for he wriggled contritely and showed his repentance inevery way that was in his power. He pleaded with the child andpetitioned him, and offered more prayers.

At last the child grew weary of this amusement and turned toward home.The dog was praying at the time. He lay on his back and turned his eyesupon the retreating form.

Presently he struggled to his feet and started after the child. Thelatter wandered in a perfunctory way toward his home, stopping at timesto investigate various matters. During one of these pauses he discoveredthe little dark-brown dog who was following him with the air of afootpad.

The child beat his pursuer with a small stick he had found. The dog laydown and prayed until the child had finished, and resumed his journey.Then he scrambled erect and took up the pursuit again.

On the way to his home the child turned many times and beat the dog,proclaiming with childish gestures that he held him in contempt as anunimportant dog, with no value save for a moment. For being this qualityof animal the dog apologized and eloquently expressed regret, but hecontinued stealthily to follow the child. His manner grew so very guiltythat he slunk like an assassin.

When the child reached his doorstep, the dog was industriously ambling afew yards in the rear. He became so agitated with shame when he againconfronted the child that he forgot the dragging rope. He tripped uponit and fell forward.

The child sat down on the step and the two had another interview. Duringit the dog greatly exerted himself to please the child. He performed afew gambols with such abandon that the child suddenly saw him to be avaluable thing. He made a swift, avaricious charge and seized the rope.

He dragged his captive into a hall and up many long stairways in a darktenement. The dog made willing efforts, but he could not hobble veryskilfully up the stairs because he was very small and soft, and at lastthe pace of the engrossed child grew so energetic that the dog becamepanic-stricken. In his mind he was being dragged toward a grim unknown.His eyes grew wild with the terror of it. He began to wiggle his headfrantically and to brace his legs.

The child redoubled his exertions. They had a battle on the stairs. Thechild was victorious because he was completely absorbed in his purpose,and because the dog was very small. He dragged his acquirement to thedoor of his home, and finally with triumph across the threshold.

No one was in. The child sat down on the floor and made overtures to thedog. These the dog instantly accepted. He beamed with affection upon hisnew friend. In a short time they were firm and abiding comrades.

When the child's family appeared, they made a great row. The dog wasexamined and commented upon and called names. Scorn was leveled at himfrom all eyes, so that he became much embarrassed and drooped like ascorched plant. But the child went sturdily to the center of the floor,and, at the top of his voice, championed the dog. It happened that hewas roaring protestations, with his arms clasped about the dog's neck,when the father of the family came in from work.

The parent demanded to know what the blazes they were making the kidhowl for. It was explained in many words that the infernal kid wanted tointroduce a disreputable dog into the family.

A family council was held. On this depended the dog's fate, but he in noway heeded, being busily engaged in chewing the end of the child'sdress.

The affair was quickly ended. The father of the family, it appears, wasin a particularly savage temper that evening, and when he perceived thatit would amaze and anger everybody if such a dog were allowed to remain,he decided that it should be so. The child, crying softly, took hisfriend off to a retired part of the room to hobnob with him, while thefather quelled a fierce rebellion of his wife. So it came to pass thatthe dog was a member of the household.

He and the child were associated together at all times save when thechild slept. The child became a guardian and a friend. If the large folkkicked the dog and threw things at him, the child made loud and violentobjections. Once when the child had run, protesting loudly, with tearsraining down his face and his arms outstretched, to protect his friend,he had been struck in the head with a very large saucepan from the handof his father, enraged at some seeming lack of courtesy in the dog. Everafter, the family were careful how they threw things at the dog.Moreover, the latter grew very skilful in avoiding missiles and feet. Ina small room containing a stove, a table, a bureau and some chairs, hewould display strategic ability of a high order, dodging, feinting andscuttling about among the furniture. He could force three or four peoplearmed with brooms, sticks and handfuls of coal, to use all theiringenuity to get in a blow. And even when they did, it was seldom thatthey could do him a serious injury or leave any imprint.

But when the child was present these scenes did not occur. It came to berecognized that if the dog was molested, the child would burst intosobs, and as the child, when started, was very riotous and practicallyunquenchable, the dog had therein a safeguard.

However, the child could not always be near. At night, when he wasasleep, his dark-brown friend would raise from some black corner a wild,wailful cry, a song of infinite loneliness and despair, that would goshuddering and sobbing among the buildings of the block and cause peopleto swear. At these times the singer would often be chased all over thekitchen and hit with a great variety of articles.

Sometimes, too, the child himself used to beat the dog, although it isnot known that he ever had what truly could be called a just cause. Thedog always accepted these thrashings with an air of admitted guilt. Hewas too much of a dog to try to look to be a martyr or to plot revenge.He received the blows with deep humility, and furthermore he forgave hisfriend the moment the child had finished, and was ready to caress thechild's hand with his little red tongue.

When misfortune came upon the child, and his troubles overwhelmed him,he would often crawl under the table and lay his small distressed headon the dog's back. The dog was ever sympathetic. It is not to besupposed that at such times he took occasion to refer to the unjustbeatings his friend, when provoked, had administered to him.

He did not achieve any notable degree of intimacy with the other membersof the family. He had no confidence in them, and the fear that he wouldexpress at their casual approach often exasperated them exceedingly.They used to gain a certain satisfaction in underfeeding him, butfinally his friend the child grew to watch the matter with some care,and when he forgot it, the dog was often successful in secret forhimself.

So the dog prospered. He developed a large bark, which came wondrouslyfrom such a small rug of a dog. He ceased to howl persistently at night.Sometimes, indeed, in his sleep, he would utter little yells, as frompain, but that occurred, no doubt, when in his dreams he encounteredhuge flaming dogs who threatened him direfully.

His devotion to the child grew until it was a sublime thing. He waggedat his approach; he sank down in despair at his departure. He coulddetect the sound of the child's step among all the noises of theneighborhood. It was like a calling voice to him.

The scene of their companionship was a kingdom governed by this terriblepotentate, the child; but neither criticism nor rebellion ever lived foran instant in the heart of the one subject. Down in the mystic, hiddenfields of his little dog-soul bloomed flowers of love and fidelity andperfect faith.

The child was in the habit of going on many expeditions to observestrange things in the vicinity. On these occasions his friend usuallyjogged aimfully along behind. Perhaps, though, he went ahead. Thisnecessitated his turning around every quarter-minute to make sure thechild was coming. He was filled with a large idea of the importance ofthese journeys. He would carry himself with such an air! He was proud tobe the retainer of so great a monarch.

One day, however, the father of the family got quite exceptionallydrunk. He came home and held carnival with the cooking utensils, thefurniture and his wife. He was in the midst of this recreation when thechild, followed by the dark-brown dog, entered the room. They werereturning from their voyages.

The child's practised eye instantly noted his father's state. He divedunder the table, where experience had taught him was a rather safeplace. The dog, lacking skill in such matters, was, of course, unawareof the true condition of affairs. He looked with interested eyes at hisfriend's sudden dive. He interpreted it to mean: Joyous gambol. Hestarted to patter across the floor to join him. He was the picture of alittle dark-brown dog en route to a friend.

The head of the family saw him at this moment. He gave a huge howl ofjoy, and knocked the dog down with a heavy coffee-pot. The dog, yellingin supreme astonishment and fear, writhed to his feet and ran for cover.The man kicked out with a ponderous foot. It caused the dog to swerve asif caught in a tide. A second blow of the coffee-pot laid him upon thefloor.

Here the child, uttering loud cries, came valiantly forth like a knight.The father of the family paid no attention to these calls of the child,but advanced with glee upon the dog. Upon being knocked down twice inswift succession, the latter apparently gave up all hope of escape. Herolled over on his back and held his paws in a peculiar manner. At thesame time with his eyes and his ears he offered up a small prayer.

But the father was in a mood for having fun, and it occurred to him thatit would be a fine thing to throw the dog out of the window. So hereached down and, grabbing the animal by a leg, lifted him, squirming,up. He swung him two or three times hilariously about his head, and thenflung him with great accuracy through the window.

The soaring dog created a surprise in the block. A woman watering plantsin an opposite window gave an involuntary shout and dropped a flower-pot. A man in another window leaned perilously out to watch the flightof the dog. A woman who had been hanging out clothes in a yard began tocaper wildly. Her mouth was filled with clothes-pins, but her arms gavevent to a sort of exclamation. In appearance she was like a gaggedprisoner. Children ran whooping.

The dark-brown body crashed in a heap on the roof of a shed five storiesbelow. From thence it rolled to the pavement of an alleyway.

The child in the room far above burst into a long, dirge-like cry, andtoddled hastily out of the room. It took him a long time to reach thealley, because his size compelled him to go downstairs backward, onestep at a time, and holding with both hands to the step above.

When they came for him later, they found him seated by the body of hisdark-brown friend.